Nov 2019 and a new family member arrives

This month, a 1991 BMW R100R joined our motorcycle family.    Stu bought this bike new, and in 1998, sold it to our neighbor.   And it sat in the neighbor’s garage until this month.  In the 21 years the neighbor owned it, he put on 4000 miles.  He recently passed away, Stu offered to help his wife sell it...and after looking at it, he decided we needed to bring it back to life again.  So we are up to six bikes again ;)

Alas, the passing years have caused age related degradation, along with some other issues, so Stu is in the middle of a stem to stern renovation.   Right now the rear tires, brakes, seals, oils etc are in process.

Long lost photos of us and various motorcycles

Stu found these on his computer and I wanted to post them, since they are motorcycle trip related.  Time frame estimate 2005-2008 maybe?

Bike update Thursday Sept 19...update 10/7

The plot thickened after we got home.   Not only was there a missing saddlebag and a speedometer and tachometer that sang a loud harmonious song...but Stu noticed his left foot peg rubber was missing.

Where and how the foot peg rubber disappeared is as big a mystery as where the saddlebag went....

The foot peg rubber is a cylindrical piece of rubber that pushes onto a shaft.  It is press fit so it takes a bit of effort to put it on or take it off.  And on the bottom, there is a metal bracket and two screws that hold everything in place.   How in the world did two screws fall out and the rubber slide off the shaft, all the while stu’s foot was on the foot peg.   A mystery indeed.

So today the new foot peg rubber, screws and mounting bracket arrived and were installed.   

Initially, the tachometer was clearly haywire, but after checking, it turns out the speedometer was also howling away.  Stu bought a used speedometer and tachometer set off eBay and they are cleaned up and waiting for some additional assembly parts.   Should be done by the end of the weekend.

No decision on the saddlebag.  Might just move the tail trunk bag to the right side and put a backrest on....or keep checking eBay for a high quality used bag.   

Update Saturday.  Instruments cleaned, assembled and about to be tested before installation.

October 7th update....Of course, within a few weeks, these “new to us” gauges started misbehaving....so out came the original gauges and a pot pourri of chemicals for Stu to use to clean out the interior mechanism.   For the moment, they appear to be working so they are back installed on the bike.   However, Stu has little hope the “fix” will last so he is searching the internet for information on gauge disassembly and repair ;)

Thurs Sept 12. Endless ride to and from Cameron

We had high hopes this morning.   Left at 8.  Photo of Stu and the bike right before we left.   Weather forecast for 85-90 high all weekend, light winds,  yeah!   So off we went on the 43 year old Gold Wing.  It has about 21,000 original miles on it.

Alas, the forces of evil found us.   We stopped for lunch in Cameron Az.  As I get off the bike (I being Hilo), Stu looks at me and says “where is the saddlebag?”   I just look confused.   And so I look where he is pointing and there is nothing there.   No right saddlebag.  Somewhere between Verde Valley and Cameron, it disappeared.   So we had a good lunch at the trading post, bought gas and headed home.

The missing saddlebag had all Hilo’s stuff in it, all Stu’s pills and his shoes.   No way we could keep going up to the VJMC weekend in Kanab.  So we turned around and spent the ride home gazing longingly over at the other lane of traffic hoping to see a 43 year old piece of saddlebag on the road.   No such luck.





So the adventure ends after 475 miles of riding today.   We are safe and sound.

Ah, and I forgot to mention the tachometer started howling right before Cameron and the needle swung wildly, as did the temperature needle.   By the time we got home, the noise was loud enough that people we passed in the street could hear...Sounded like a really bad singer warbling away ;)
As I write this tonight at 8, Stu is searching eBay for another tachometer.   He figured out our tail trunk is the exact same luggage as the missing saddlebag so he will move that around.   Instead of a tail trunk, he will put on a back rest for me.   So the catastrophe migrated into a bunch of work for Stu but is fixable probably.   The tach is still the wildcard.   Hard to believe that the world does not have boxes of new 1976 Honda gold wing tachometers sitting around for sale.

VJMC weekend in Kanab, Utah preparation-Sept 7

Preparations are almost complete for the trip to Kanab, leaving next Thursday.   The 1976 Gold Wing has fresh oil and filter, and all the usual suspects have been inspected (tire air pressure, brake fluid, gas, battery).   This morning, we took a shakedown trip.  We drove to the monthly gold wing breakfast at the Deer Valley airport restaurant.   It has been at least three months since we have been on a bike...summers here are getting more and more intolerable ;).  Apparently completely related to our age...

We will drop lucy at the spa on Weds night and off we go Thursday morning.  350 miles one way.   We will stop in Flagstaff for gas, stop in Cameron for gas and lunch (and the obligatory detour for Hilo to check Indian jewelry at their gift shop), past the Vermillion cliffs, into the mountains past Jacobs lake and then into Kanab later in the day.

Photos to come along as events unfold.

August Aprilia fork rebuilding project

We welcomed the dog days of summer by staying inside air conditioned buildings, and haven’t been on a real ride for two months.  The right front fork seal developed a leak in early summer, but the project is a lot of work, so the bike languished while Stu worked on enthusiasm.   Today, the enthusiasm arrived.

To replace the fork seal, the forks get removed, internal bits and pieces are removed, everything is cleaned, new fork seal put in, and reassembled.   Overall, the whole process should take two days...just in time for more 111 degree weather 😎

Day trip to Flagstaff in early May

As the summer starts here, a nice long trip to the pines up north sounds very appealing.  As does the offer of a BBQ lunch...so that is our Thursday.   Retirement is exhausting ;)